"Quite frankly, all the players are getting paid too much and all the contracts are too long," general manager Lou Lamoriello said. "But if you want to compete in this market and you want to win, there are some things you have to do."

For the PK, it's a little unfair to talk about how many goals they gave up without mentioning how many goals they got shorthanded.

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Your unconditional rejection of violence makes you smugly think of yourselves as noble, as enlightened, but in reality it is nothing less than abject moral capitulation to evil. Unconditional rejection of self-defense, because you think its a supposed surrender to violence, leaves you no resort but begging for mercy or offering appeasement.

-Terry Goodkind

Sex Panther cologne -- 50 percent of the time, it works every time.

-Anchorman

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

For the PK, it's a little unfair to talk about how many goals they gave up without mentioning how many goals they got shorthanded.

They got the shorthanded goals last year too. For me the PK more or less comes down to no Parise and no Zubrus for half a year, and they were replaced with Gionta/Josefson. Then you had Sal who fell down a crater this year and Volch who was already there as our primary PK'ers defensively.

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"The Devils have high standards, that's the difference. We have a standard to live up to every year, and a couple of teams in our area don't have the standards we do." - Pat Burns

The New Jersey Devils win Stanley Cups everywhere:-NHL record for most road wins in the playoffs - 10-1 in '95 and 10-2 in '00-NHL record for most home wins in the playoffs - 12-1 in '03

They got the shorthanded goals last year too. For me the PK more or less comes down to no Parise and no Zubrus for half a year, and they were replaced with Gionta/Josefson. Then you had Sal who fell down a crater this year and Volch who was already there as our primary PK'ers defensively.

Last year the Devils got 15, this year the Devils have 11. If you adjust that for an 82 game season then the Devils scored almost 20 short handed goals this year.

My point was the guy is upset the Devils are 18th in PK percentage this season at 80.6%, but if you adjust every team's PK for shorthanded the goals then the Devils look significantly better.

If you cancel out the PP goals given up by the shorthanded goals scored, then the Devils are at 87% this season, which is just about the same as Philly who is ranked 5th in the league and I'm sure nobody feels their PK isn't doing well. To give last years numbers as well, the Devils adjusted PK percentage was 95%, or an 8% difference.

The Devils being only 8% worse than possibly the best PK season ever is still pretty darn good.

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Your unconditional rejection of violence makes you smugly think of yourselves as noble, as enlightened, but in reality it is nothing less than abject moral capitulation to evil. Unconditional rejection of self-defense, because you think its a supposed surrender to violence, leaves you no resort but begging for mercy or offering appeasement.

-Terry Goodkind

Sex Panther cologne -- 50 percent of the time, it works every time.

-Anchorman

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

That was pretty crappy. The Devils give up the least amount of shots in the NHL and have team save percentage well under .900. And goaltending isn't part of that list? What is one of the main reasons the PK was worse off...goaltending. Not mentioned.

Edited by devilsrule33, 24 April 2013 - 06:35 PM.

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"The Stanley Cup has fallen from the Stars. The new millennium has its first Stanley Cup Champion, and it's the New Jersey Devils." Mike Miller calling the Devils winning the Stanley Cup.

"It goes to the captain and then there are handoffs during a skate around the ice" Mike Emrick as Scott Stevens is being presented the Stanley Cup.

Not showing up in the first ten minutes of the majority of games the last two months

A hapless shootout

Blowing leads that we somehow had.

Doing absolutely nothing at the trade deadline.

Injuries as usual.

What a forgettable season. So many what-ifs it's sickening. Just imagine if we could have scored maybe three more timely power play goals and held those two leads in Florida. Lou is making Garth Snow look like a genius. A team that has Tim Thomas just to make the cap floor is making the playoffs over the Eastern Conference Champions.

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Keeper of Mike Miller's cracking voiceKeeper of Claude the trumpet guyKeeper of Slapshot the fondlin' mascot

Not showing up in the first ten minutes of the majority of games the last two months

A hapless shootout

Blowing leads that we somehow had.

Doing absolutely nothing at the trade deadline.

Injuries as usual.

What a forgettable season. So many what-ifs it's sickening. Just imagine if we could have scored maybe three more timely power play goals and held those two leads in Florida. Lou is making Garth Snow look like a genius. A team that has Tim Thomas just to make the cap floor is making the playoffs over the Eastern Conference Champions.

How do you have Matt Shaw on this list and not Johan Hedberg and Martin Brodeur? The Devils would be in the playoffs with this anemic scoring if those two could stop pucks at an average rate.

Goaltending has to be the #1 or #2 problem with this team. Moose played like absolute garbage (love the guy, he did a great job when Marty went down in the past...but not this year) during Marty's absence. Then Marty comes back, and he's completely lost a step.

I think people will tiptoe around the topic, considering the respect Marty garners (and deserves) league-wide, but it's absolutely not debatable that if he plays this poorly early next year the team needs to look for a replacement #1.

Because he will be the #1 goalie next year, folks. Might as well accept that now and save yourself the frustration next fall.

Goaltending has to be the #1 or #2 problem with this team. Moose played like absolute garbage (love the guy, he did a great job when Marty went down in the past...but not this year) during Marty's absence. Then Marty comes back, and he's completely lost a step.

I think people will tiptoe around the topic, considering the respect Marty garners (and deserves) league-wide, but it's absolutely not debatable that if he plays this poorly early next year the team needs to look for a replacement #1.

Because he will be the #1 goalie next year, folks. Might as well accept that now and save yourself the frustration next fall.

Agree with this, pretty much.

The more I think about it, the more I really hope Marty takes Lou and his organization off the griddle, and at least lets Lou discuss the idea of Marty being a lesser 1, or ever a 1A-type (provided Lou thinks he can upgrade over Hedberg). But I think that even though Marty probably knows he's not quite was he was, I think he still he believes that he should be the guy...which is unforunately what puts organizations and their fans in Mark Messier and Brett Favre kinds of situations, full of awkwardness as their organizations try not to disrespect the players (or come off as disrespectful) who clearly had a massive impact, in a championship-winning manner.

In a perfect world, Lou would be able to say to Marty, "Thank you for everything, you are the best Devil ever to play for the franchise, we never would gotten to where we were and became the yearly contender we were all of these years without you. But let's face it, things have changed. As hard as you work and as much as you give, you are not the same player anymore. That is the reality. You have one year left on your contract, but you know you will always have a place in this organization, for life, if you want it. So let's make your final year the best it can be, for you and for all of us. Clearly you've been our #1 guy since 1993, and deservedly so, but we are going to have to begin the transition into the years where you're no longer a part of the team on the ice. All we ask is, based on what other goalie(s) we have here next season, you assist us in helping us to make this transition, whatever that requires. It could mean less playing time for you, even considerably so, but there has to be a way to make this work so both you and the organization benefit...please work with us on this."

But like you said, I think they're going to tip-toe around this, and I doubt Lou is going initiate anything resembling the dialogue above. I just hope Marty doesn't struggle badly next season, because, coming off this season, where he's clearly in decline, that's the kind of thing that starts to turn fans against you, starts to make them resentful...some Devils fans already are.

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976, 25 April 2013 - 06:47 AM.

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THE NHL MUST LOVE THE DEVILS - from who else? A RANGER fan![Mark Messier]: A big, bald attention whore with a stupid Easter Island-lookin face. - from who else? DaneykoIsGod!

Even when Marty comes back maybe Larry should put Clemmensen to be on the goal during the shootouts.Can the coach do that ? Switch the goalies 5 seconds to go in overtime? - Most priceless quote ever posted on a message board.

Martin Brodeur: THE MOST ALL-TIME WINS!, 12 straight seasons of 30+ wins, 3 Stanley Cups, 4 Vezina Trophies, and zero respect from too many so-called Devils "fans" who are either too young or too bandwagon to remember the much darker days of Sean Burke, Craig Billington, Bob Sauve, Alain Chevrier, and the talented but overwhelmed Chico Resch, among many others.

It's easy to support a great player when he's playing at his very best. It takes a true fan to support that same player during those rare moments and stretches when he's not. Babe Ruth went 0-4 some games, and sometimes Wayne Gretzky was held pointless. There may be such a thing as greatness, but no such thing as absolute perfection every single night.

#30 FOREVER!

20 out of 1,946 njdevs.com members agree: CR1976 is the Most Knowledgable Poster of 2008! Victory is mine...oh yes, victory is mine!

and OV is on fire after people were saying "he's not the same guy anymore"

Ovie has been hotter than the sun, but he's not gonna keep shooting at this clip on the PP. Might be able to sustain it for a few rounds in the playoffs, but it's not like he's gonna start potting 60+ seasons again. That problem lies in 5vs5 play/scoring.

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Winner of the 2009-10 Slava Fetisov Award For Best International Poster
Winner of the 2011-2012 RD Avatar Award

i think ovie may be may favorite non devil.. hes not a little bitch like crosby.. sh!t he doesnt even attend half of the team practices, sits around smoking cigarettes and is still one of the very top guys in the league.. pretty sick

The more I think about it, the more I really hope Marty takes Lou and his organization off the griddle, and at least lets Lou discuss the idea of Marty being a lesser 1, or ever a 1A-type (provided Lou thinks he can upgrade over Hedberg). But I think that even though Marty probably knows he's not quite was he was, I think he still he believes that he should be the guy...which is unforunately what puts organizations and their fans in Mark Messier and Brett Favre kinds of situations, full of awkwardness as their organizations try not to disrespect the players (or come off as disrespectful) who clearly had a massive impact, in a championship-winning manner.

In a perfect world, Lou would be able to say to Marty, "Thank you for everything, you are the best Devil ever to play for the franchise, we never would gotten to where we were and became the yearly contender we were all of these years without you. But let's face it, things have changed. As hard as you work and as much as you give, you are not the same player anymore. That is the reality. You have one year left on your contract, but you know you will always have a place in this organization, for life, if you want it. So let's make your final year the best it can be, for you and for all of us. Clearly you've been our #1 guy since 1993, and deservedly so, but we are going to have to begin the transition into the years where you're no longer a part of the team on the ice. All we ask is, based on what other goalie(s) we have here next season, you assist us in helping us to make this transition, whatever that requires. It could mean less playing time for you, even considerably so, but there has to be a way to make this work so both you and the organization benefit...please work with us on this."

But like you said, I think they're going to tip-toe around this, and I doubt Lou is going initiate anything resembling the dialogue above. I just hope Marty doesn't struggle badly next season, because, coming off this season, where he's clearly in decline, that's the kind of thing that starts to turn fans against you, starts to make them resentful...some Devils fans already are.

re: marty - i agree he's clearly in decline but ILWT did an interesting study and found where he's absolutely dreadful in on the PK. his 5v5 sv % isn't that terrible (league average). just throwing that out there but yes, he is what he is which is an overall below average goaltender.

and moose sucks - i'm glad he thinks he'll be back next year. i hope he is the only one thinking that.

_________________________________________________________________
“They’re the ones that makes it happen,” Lemaire said. “It’s not us. It’s not me. It’s not the other guy. It’s not the guy before. It’s not the guy after. It’s them. And they have to take care of business.”
-
"I guess I just miss my friend" (#28)

Tri alluded to this before it all went to hell, but sentimentality hurt this team. We kept trying to ride guys who weren't succeeding based on past success. If we'd benched Sal, paid for a new goalie in the offseason, broken up CBGB, traded a guy like Greene for a forward, or any number of other painful, but eventually smart moves, this would have been a better season. I tried to defend some of that stuff, but it definitely hurt. I don't know that any of it matters -- they couldn't win without Marty, and when Marty came back, he was a shell of himself, so they couldn't win with him, and just when they looked like they might steal enough points to sneak in, Kovy went down. I doubt any fixes solve those problems, but if we want to get back to being a contender rather than a team that sneaks in, we have to make the little fixes.

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Sumus Legio
You don't turn this around in a couple shifts. Its going to take a little time, but I know the guys will come back. Because I can see it. -- Jacques Lemaire

eventhough its true that Marty has not being good losing games while we had less than 15 shots in a game, but again, the offence is big part of the blame this season, we finished last in scoring and its not because of Marty obviously.